26th Sunday in Ordinary time
Intro: There are always going to be poor in society. Jesus reminds us that sharing our material goods with them will entitle us to a share in His Kingdom, while refusal to do so may well result in our exclusion from that Kingdom. Every action we take has both an influence and a consequence.
Readings: Amos warns the self-satisfied rich that a complacent, couldn't-care-less attitude to the poor, coupled with an overly luxurious life will end in their ruin.
Paul encourages Timothy his co-worker in his commitment to standing up for what's right or telling the truth, even when he finds it difficult or unpalatable.
Amos 6: 1, 4-7;
1 Timothy 6: 11-16;
Luke 16: 19-31;
Jesus tells today's dramatic parable to put across several points, the first being the need to show mercy, to have pity on one's neighbour. Linked with that is the necessity of justice - living in complete luxury regardless of the condition of others.
Secondly, the torment of the rich man in Hades isn't just about the punishment he
receives, but also about the rewards he's missing out on. He doesn't even think about the future; he's got no interest in the hereafter; he's only intent on enjoying the comforts and pleasures of the present life and seemingly totally unconcerned that any of his present actions might have an impact on his afterlife.
Such beliefs weren't uncommon in Jesus' time. The Sadducees, who tended to be the most affluent people in Jewish society, believed that at death everyone, good and bad alike, went to the shadowy underworld of the dead - Sheol or Hades. They believed that there was neither reward nor punishment in the afterlife, and the rich man in today's Gospel clearly shares that outlook.
It's not that he is unaware of Lazarus' plight - he calls him by name when he is in Hades - he simply doesn't care … he simply can't see beyond himself and his selfish
pleasures, and seems unable to realise that his actions and lifestyle will have consequences. Too late he realises his mistake, and begs Abraham to send someone back from the dead to warn his brothers to change their ways. But Abraham remains unconvinced, reminding him that Moses and all the prophets had already pointed out the correct way.
That mentality is still prevalent today - live for the moment, get the most you can and enjoy life. You might say, literally, "to hell with the consequences!" We too are warned of the consequences of our actions, and all too often we fail to change our lifestyle. It's so true: God calls us to repentance, and we ignore His warning. He
rose from the dead precisely to prove that He was Whom He claimed to be.
In spite of that, people many still refuse to believe or at least put off that change. The Kingdom isn't something to which we simply look forward without preparation; it's something which we can and must begin building here and now.
Maybe the penny should have dropped for us by this time: as the prophet Amos tells us in the first reading, it isn't wrong to have material things, but it is wrong to have a lifestyle completely focussed on ourselves. Mercy isn't simply about doing good deeds; rather, it's about being God-like: having compassion, and acting on that compassion to give comfort and help.
Pope Francis in his encyclical Laudato si underlined that it's poor people who suffer when fishing grounds are depleted, when forests are chopped down, when countries are saddled with unsustainable debt, when global warming continues to take place. The vivid depiction of hell given by Jesus is intended to shock us into evaluating our own faith in action. Because when we believe in, and live mercy and justice, then we too live in the risen Christ.
A rich woman with two young children employed a nanny who usually put the children to bed. Being ill, it then fell to the mother who was told that "nanny always tells us a story before we go to sleep." Put on the spot, the mother makes up a story on the spur of the moment: "Once upon a time, there was a family which was very poor: daddy was poor, mummy was poor, even the butler was poor." Wealthy people are sometimes unable to even imagine what life is like for those who don't have enough.
Intercessions
We bring all our cares, concerns, problems and hurts before our Father, knowing that He will hear and answer our prayers:-
1. For the Church. By word and action, may She continue to speak out against poverty and injustice, and provide practical help for those in need - Lord, hear us.
2. For world leaders. May they ensure that the laws which they pass are fair, their dealings just, and their compassion generous for all sections of their society - Lord, hear us.
3. For those who, like Lazarus are overlooked, neglected or despised in society. Help us not to be indifferent to the needs of vulnerable people and respond to their cry for help - Lord, hear us.
4. For Agnes Summers and Gary Shields who have died recently; and for James Connolly, Isobel Connolly and Tony Cunningham, whose anniversaries occur about this time. May the angels lead them to the joys of Your Kingdom forever - Lord, hear us.
God our Father, help us to build up Your Kingdom of truth and peace in our world. May the way we live our lives reflect the prayers we utter today.